1. Technical Field
The present invention relates generally to controlling mail items that are sent to a recipient and, more particularly, to a system, method, and article of manufacture for filtering out mail items that a recipient may not want to receive.
2. Background Information
Over the years, individuals and businesses have become increasingly dependent on delivery services, like the U.S. Postal Service (“USPS”), to deliver mail items, such as letters and packages, to others. For example, a business may periodically send advertising and marketing material to current and potential customers through a delivery service. As a result, the amount of mail items that a recipient, such as an individual or a business, may receive has increased. A recipient, however, may not like some of the mail items and may not want to receive some of these items in the future for several reasons. One reason is that the recipient may not want to waste time culling through all the received mail items and throwing away the items that the recipient does not want.
In addition to the time problem, the recipient of a mail item may not want a particular item delivered to them. For example, when a recipient receives a mail item that includes advertising material, the recipient may just discard it. Moreover, in certain cases, where the recipient may be able to tell that a mail item includes certain type of material or object, the recipient may discard the item without even opening it. For example, a recipient may take a look at the bulk rate stamp or bulk rate payment indicator on a mail item and know that the mail item includes material or an object that the recipient does not want and thus, may just discard it without even opening it.
In addition, unwanted mail items, such as bulk mail, may cause problems by filling up the limited space in a recipient's mailbox. For example, if a recipient has a small post office box or apartment-style mailbox that may be six inches by four inches by ten inches deep, unwanted mail items may stuff that box to the brim every other day. The problem may be worse when the recipient goes on vacation and when no one may empty the mailbox for several days. Moreover, the unwanted mail items may crumple and tear wanted mail items. As a result of the foregoing reasons, recipients may not want all the mail items intended for them.
One solution to the problem of unwanted mail items is for a recipient to throw away the mail items that the recipient does not want. Another solution is for a recipient to notify the sender of the mail item that the recipient does not wish to receive any mail item or a mail item that includes certain materials or objects from the sender. Both of these solutions require the recipient to invest time that the recipient could use for other tasks. Moreover, the latter solution may work only if the recipient opens the mail item and possibly finds a telephone number within to call and notify the sender that he does not wish to receive certain or any mail items from the sender. Of course, this solution may only work if the sender included a feedback phone number in the mail item.
In addition to wasting a recipient's resources, a sender may be wasting its own resources, such as printing and shipping costs, by sending unwanted mail items to a recipient. The sender may be able to better utilize its resources by sending the mail item to a person who would actually use or read it, instead of immediately throwing it away. Currently, however, unless notified by the recipient, a sender may not know whether a recipient will throw away the mail item that the sender is sending to the recipient.